Birchwood House Rest Home

I previously worked for Birchwood’s Domiciliary care in the community. I took a break from care for a few years but have come back in a new position which I love, life is never dull in the home with each day always different and I have really enjoyed getting to know all the residents. I am responsible for the day to day entertainment in the home and also keep families updated about the life in the home in a newsletter each month.

Having attended catering college and lots of experience at various catering establishments I joined Birchwood House in 2012. I am responsible for the running the kitchen, creating delicious nutritional breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Bakery experience lends to delightful cakes for afternoon tea. Cooking at Birchwood is home from home but with a much bigger family.

I came to work at Birchwood House in 1992 and started as a weekend kitchen assistant. I have had many roles at Birchwood from cleaning to working as part of the night staff and I am now the housekeeper. It gives me great satisfaction to knowing the house is clean tidy and running to high standards. The only time I left Birchwood House was to have my three lovely daughters but I have always returned with joy to be back. Birchwood House is a great place to work and has such a great family atmosphere.

I’ve worked in the care industry for 21 years. I’ve been at Birchwood for 5 years and never looked back.

I’ve always enjoyed working in smaller homes that are not purpose-built. Working at Birchwood is more personal than other places I’ve worked.

The benefits of working here are working in lovely surroundings with a good team of people, as well as the training and support I’ve been offered to further my career.

Working in care is a rewarding career in itself but working with the Birchwood team who are warm friendly and motivating makes going to work that little bit better.

When I tell people about my job the response I normally get is you must find it so rewarding and I do.

Dionne first started working in care in 2010. She had been cleaning for a gentleman who developed dementia. His family arranged for carers to look after him but he locked them out and told them to go away. The family approached her and asked if she would consider caring for him.

10 years later and Dionne hasn’t looked back. She is still very passionate about her job and delivers a high quality of care. She loves the fact that she is able to make a difference to people’s lives and enjoys the challenges that come with the job and learning new skills every day.

I have worked in care for 20 years and am proud to say I’ve been at Birchwood House for half of these.

When I first came to Birchwood, I remember thinking it felt like a real home from home.

My role is to oversee the overall running of the home and work with staff as a team to ensure that our residents receive the highest standards of care and can live as full a life as possible.

I love getting to know each and every one of our residents and hearing about their interesting lives and the stories they have to tell. I love sharing their memories.

Working at Birchwood is like working with an extended family. Every day is very different and there is something new to learn every day. We’re incredibly lucky to work in such beautiful surroundings and love watching our residents enjoy the changing seasons. It is a true team effort and we aim to enhance the lives of our residents by listening, engaging and supporting them in every way we can.

I came to Birchwood House in April 2019 after over 30 years in the building industry I wanted a change. I now look after the day to day running of the maintenance and gardening, from redecorating to tending to the grounds. I enjoy talking to the residents about their pasts and love hearing the stories, I enjoy working with a great team.

My name is Michaela and I have worked in hospitals in the Kent area for nearly nine years, working up from a domestic to senior support worker.  I worked in different areas of the hospital from A&E to Dementia wards and I came to Birchwood House in March 2017 as a Team leader.

Hi Everyone,

We’ve been successful at Birchwood in ensuring our residents and staff continue to live and work in a safe and secure environment. My staff deserve my heartfelt thanks and huge credit in delivering a first class, personal service to all our residents and homecare clients.

We’ve continued safe and secure family visits for our residents too, with up to 3 visits scheduled every day in our secure meeting area. With alignment to all government and health guidelines, our residents have been able to stay in contact with their nearest and dearest. Very early on it occurred to me how integral it was for the residents’ wellbeing to maintain face to face contact.  It’s certainly helped to maintain high spirits for all and we hope to do everything we can to continue these in the weeks and months ahead.

I started caring in 1987 after my boyfriend’s mother offered me a job as a care assistant in her care home. 33 years later I haven’t looked back.

I have seen many changes over the years and all have improved the lives of the elderly in care homes. I like to go above and beyond for the residents I support, taking the time to give that little extra touch of care, like helping with shopping when needed.

I am good at connecting with the residents and I can pick up when they are not feeling well or there is something worrying them. Everyone I support feel like they are my own family and they like to call me the whistler.